Director of Merchandising - Rugs and Home

For decades, Obeetee has been the trusted partner behind beautifully handcrafted rugs for many of today's leading retailers. With Terra by Obeetee, we have introduced our own thoughtfully curated dropship collection, designed in-house by the same team known for exceptional craftsmanship, innovation, and ethical production. Stocked in the U.S., Terra represents our creative vision—built on more than a century of expertise and created to complement the valued partnerships we continue to cherish. As Terra continues to grow, we're looking for an entrepreneurial Director of Merchandising to own and evolve our product assortment. This is a unique opportunity for someone who thrives at the intersection of creativity, merchandising, sourcing, and customer collaboration. Role Summary The Director of Merchandising is the business owner of Terra's product assortment. This individual is responsible for defining product strategy, leading product development, and ensuring our collections remain trend-forward, commercially successful, and aligned with customer needs. Success in this role requires balancing creativity with execution. You'll identify emerging trends, source and develop new products, collaborate with customers on exclusive programs, and work cross-functionally with Sales, Sourcing, Operations, and our manufacturing teams abroad to bring products to market on time and on budget. This is a highly independent role for someone who enjoys taking ownership, solving problems, influencing teams without direct authority, and traveling extensively to stay connected to both customers and manufacturing partners. Key Responsibilities Manage Terra's product assortment and long-term category strategy. Build and maintain quarterly assortment line plans and present recommendations to leadership. Define assortment architecture across constructions, styles, materials, price points, and customer segments while maintaining a disciplined good-better-best strategy. Support the strategic expansion of Terra's product portfolio by leading development efforts for adjacent home textiles and home furnishings categories. Own assortment performance, using sales, margin, SKU productivity, customer feedback, and market trends to determine where to invest, expand, refresh, reposition, or discontinue product. Partner with Sales and Sourcing to ensure pricing, cost feasibility, and margin integrity remain within target guardrails. Stay ahead of consumer, fashion, and home furnishings trends to drive innovation across the assortment. Product Development Lead new product development from concept through commercialization. Partner closely with Design to translate assortment strategy, trend direction, and customer opportunities into commercially compelling product, while collaborating with Sourcing, Operations, and factory teams to balance quality, manufacturability, cost, and timing. Leverage deep knowledge of rug constructions, materials, and manufacturing techniques to guide product decisions. Review and approve development samples while continuously identifying opportunities to improve quality, value, and product differentiation. Customer & Market Leadership Partner directly with key retail customers to develop exclusive collections and custom programs. Present new products, trends, and assortment strategies in customer meetings. Attend trade shows annually to support customer meetings, showcase new collections, gather market feedback, and identify emerging trends. Translate customer and market insights into future product development opportunities. Cross-Functional Leadership Serve as a key link between Sales, Design, Sourcing, Operations, and overseas manufacturing teams. Independently manage multiple product development initiatives while driving projects through completion. Influence cross-functional teams to ensure products are produced accurately, on time, and in line with business objectives. Resolve operational challenges proactively while maintaining a high standard of execution. Travel Travel is a core component of this role. International travel up to four times annually to visit factories, source new products and constructions, review development, approve samples, and strengthen manufacturing partnerships. Domestic travel up to monthly for trade shows, customer meetings, and product presentations. Additional travel as business needs require. Qualifications 7–10+ years of merchandising, category management, or product development experience within home furnishings, including meaningful experience in rugs. Strong commercial acumen with experience in assortment planning, pricing strategy, and margin management. Outstanding communication and presentation skills with experience collaborating directly with retail customers. Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority. Highly organized, self-motivated, and comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment. Location This position is based in our New York City showroom, working alongside Sales, Marketing and Design team members. What We're Looking For We're looking for someone who genuinely loves product. You have exceptional taste, strong commercial instincts, a team-first mentality, and an entrepreneurial mindset. You notice emerging trends before others, understand how to translate them into products customers will buy, and enjoy building assortments that drive business results. Just as importantly, you're willing to roll up your sleeves. Whether you're walking a trade show, presenting to a customer, visiting a factory, solving an operational issue, or chasing down a critical sample, you take ownership and get things done. If you're passionate about rugs, energized by travel, and excited to help shape the future of a growing home furnishings brand, we'd love to hear from you. What We Offer Salary Range for this role is $135k-$150k DOE. #J-18808-Ljbffr Terra by Obeetee